


A Better Place

by elicited



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, M/M, Yusol as best friends, modern day AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 23:48:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11279310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elicited/pseuds/elicited
Summary: Yuta can't understand why Hansol keeps dating people who treat him badly, and he can't get Hansol to understand that he deserves so much better.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For the following prompt from NCT Write Write 2017: _#174 "Yuta thinks his best friend Hansol is too kind and submissive, and doesn't understand why he keeps dating douchebags who treat him badly."_ I hope this is along the lines of what you wanted, anonymous prompter!
> 
> As it says in the tags, this fic contains depictions of abusive relationships. Therefore, it could be triggering. If reading about things such as emotional/mental abuse, controlling partners, neglect, or gaslighting, bothers you, then you should avoid this.
> 
> These relationships are toxic and dangerous. If you are experiencing any of these types of behaviors in your relationship, remember that you deserve better as well and there are many resources for help in getting out of that relationship!!

Yuta's standing in his and Hansol's kitchen, watching Hansol wander around their apartment looking for his jacket, and trying not to kill Hansol's boyfriend. These things have happened before, together and separately - Hansol losing things, and Yuta hating someone he's dating.

"Can you hurry up?" Hansol's boyfriend snaps, impatient, and Yuta sees red.

Yuta doesn't know this asshole's name, but it doesn't matter. It's not like he's going to think of the guy as anything but "Asshole" for the month or two Hansol dates him before the relationship inevitably falls apart. He's met too many of these douchebags who don't deserve to be referred to by anything as kind as whatever their names are.

"Maybe you could try chilling out," Yuta says to Asshole, voice low, not really sure whether he wants Hansol to hear him or not.

"Sorry," Hansol says quickly, undermining Yuta's attempt at putting his jackass boyfriend in his place. He checks beneath the sofa cushions, then ducks down to look under the sofa. "It's here, I know it's here. Sorry."

"We don't have all day," Asshole says, voice sharp with irritation, and Hansol's rummaging through a nearby laundry basket takes on a slightly more frantic energy.

"Then help him look," Yuta growls, turning to Asshole with a warning look.

Of course Asshole doesn't. He doesn't even acknowledge Yuta at all. He lets out an exaggerated sigh of exasperation and pulls out his phone, immediately gluing his eyes to it and blocking everything out.

Yuta really wishes he could block Asshole out too. Block him right out of Hansol's life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is set in the past, at the beginning of Yusol's friendship (so it is going backwards in time before Chapter 1! The others will be set after Chapter 1 again.) I hope this isn't confusing!
> 
> I should mention that none of Hansol's partners are based on real life idols or other people, they are completely fictional original characters.

This is a pattern for Hansol. He's dating a douchebag when Yuta first meets him. 

Yuta meets Hansol on a dull afternoon in the coffee shop he always stops by after his afternoon classes at the nearby university, and instantly likes him. Hansol is the clumsy new barista who fumbles his way through three attempts at the drink Yuta orders before Yuta takes pity on him and changes his order to a simple black coffee. Yuta doesn't know then that the slightly airheaded barista with the cute button nose and toned dancer's body will become his new best friend and future roommate, but he can tell from Hansol's slightly weird sense of humor (and convenient location of employment) that this won't be the last time they talk.

Over the next few weeks, he learns a lot about Hansol. He learns Hansol's also a dance teacher at a nearby studio, he's originally from Busan, he's a Scorpio, and he's partially but not fully aware of how incredibly good looking he is. He also learns that Hansol is kind and funny, and doesn't usually give his phone number to snarky strangers within two days of meeting them, but made an exception for Yuta. He learns that Hansol is a mindblowingly good dancer when they hang out outside of the coffee shop for the first time, and Hansol sneaks Yuta into the dance studio after hours to teach him some new moves. In return, Yuta teaches Hansol an extensive series of swear words in Japanese.

Yuta learns about aforementioned douchebag about a month into their friendship. It's somewhat unexpected. He's hanging out in the coffee shop after closing like he often does, chatting with Hansol as he cleans up and goes through the closing routine. Hansol is laughing at something particularly rude Yuta has said about a lady who gave Hansol attitude earlier for accidentally giving her soy milk instead of almond milk, when he looks up and his laugh suddenly stops. Yuta turns around, raising an eyebrow, and sees a guy who's actually taller than Hansol. Those aren't incredibly common. Between that and the intense look on the man's face, his appearance instantly stands out to Yuta. When he looks back at Hansol, Hansol looks tense, almost nervous, all traces of laughter gone.

"You forgot to lock the door. I guess you're trying to get robbed," the guy says, and at first Yuta thinks he has to be either Hansol's boss (or, well, a robber) but then he says, "I'm kidding. Are you done yet?"

He doesn't sound like he's kidding. "Not yet," Hansol says, stammering a little.

"But you're chatting, huh?" The strange man looks down at Yuta, who's perched on a stool he dragged over to the counter to keep Hansol company. Yuta suddenly feels very short. "Who are you?" 

"Yuta. I'm Hansol's friend," Yuta says, on guard. He knows his tone is kind of rude, but so is this guy's. "Who are _you?"_

"Sungyeob. Hansol's boyfriend." Sungyeob doesn't seem pleased to meet Yuta. "This place is closed, right?" 

"Yeah. But yet, we're both here," says Yuta, heading off Sungyeob's oncoming argument. He tries to keep his voice nonchalant, because he gets the sense this guy is easily provoked, but it doesn't work.

"I'm here to pick up Hansol," Sungyeob says, and looks at Hansol again. "What's taking you so long? Are you going to be done soon?"

"In a few minutes," Hansol says. His movements are a little bit unsteady as he runs the sponge over the counter, and it looks like his hands might be too. Yuta doesn't know exactly what's going on here, but he has an idea, and he doesn't like it.

Sungyeob looks around. "The place looks fine. Come on, let's go."

"I still have to-"

"It's fine." Sungyeob's voice is firm, not leaving room for argument. Hansol hastily gives the counter another wipedown, hurrying in a way that's very unlike the thorough, methodical, kind of slow Hansol that Yuta's used to seeing. " _Now_ are you done?"

"Yeah- yeah, I am." Hansol gathers up his cleaning supplies, looking back at the counter guiltily. "Let me go put these away."

Hansol heads into the back, leaving Yuta alone with Sungyeob. The atmosphere that settles over the two of them is possibly the most awkward one Yuta has ever felt. He has so much he wants to say about everything he just witnessed, but in an uncharacteristic move, he ultimately decides to keep his mouth shut. Something about this guy makes Yuta want to interact with him as little as possible. He finally sneaks a look at Sungyeob, and finds Sungyeob looking back at him with an unreadable look that Yuta doesn't like. He has no idea how long Sungyeob's been looking at him like that, but it freaks him out. He's about to say something about it, but then Hansol returns not a moment too soon. 

Hansol gives one last look around the coffee shop and pats down his pockets to ensure his keys, wallet, and phone are all there. Yuta takes this as his cue to stand up, and he turns out to be even shorter next to Sungyeob than he thought he was. He sticks to Hansol's side as the three of them head for the door in an awkward formation, and he can practically feel Sungyeob bristling. Yuta has a few more things he considers saying (such as "chill out, I'm not making a move on your boyfriend by standing next to him" and "what kind of stick do you have up your ass anyway") but Hansol's body language gives him the sense that it's not a good idea to say any of his characteristically inflammatory remarks.

Once they're outside, Hansol locks the door. He takes a few tries to properly turn the key in the lock, which Hansol has told him before is because it's a temperamental lock and tends to stick, but Sungyeob snorts at Hansol's fumbling. Hansol's cheeks tint pink until he finally gets it to lock. One more minute in this guy's presence, Yuta thinks, and he's really going to snap. 

"Bye, Yuta. See you around," Hansol says, with a tentative smile. There's something off about it. 

Sungyeob doesn't bother to say goodbye to Yuta. He just grabs Hansol's hand with a grip that looks too hard, and tugs Hansol away before Hansol is ready to start walking. Hansol stumbles, but quickly catches himself and hurries after Sungyeob until he catches up with Sungyeob's long strides. 

Yuta watches them go, and the dark feeling inside him settles into something heavy.

 

Yuta can't help bringing it up the next time he sees Hansol. It's the Monday after the Friday Yuta met Sungyeob, and according to Hansol, his weekend was unexciting. No further details were offered. Yuta has, as usual, dragged a stool over to an inconspicuous area of the counter to open up a textbook, completely ignore it, and blatantly bother Hansol. It's a slow afternoon anyway, so he doesn't feel too bad about occasionally being in people's way.

"So. Your boyfriend," says Yuta, sipping his coffee. "Friendly guy, huh?"

"I'm sorry about him." Hansol frowns. "I know he was rude. He wasn't in a good mood that day."

"Yeah, no shit." Yuta snorts, but shakes his head. "Don't apologize, it's nothing." 

"He's just… like that," Hansol says, a little more quietly, as he wipes up a small puddle of spilled chai tea. "A lot lately."

Yuta is surprised. The way Hansol says it gives him the feeling that this is something Hansol's been needing to open up about, but he definitely wasn't expecting it. Hansol tends to keep the more personal details about his life to himself. Hell, Yuta didn't even know he _had_ a boyfriend until last Friday, and they've been friends for a month.

But Yuta gets the feeling that this is something he probably _should_ know about. And it seems like Hansol wants him to, at least a little bit. But he needs to tread carefully here if he wants Hansol to keep opening up. "Yeah, I don't think I'd be able to do that," he says. "Guys like that… they kind of rub me the wrong way." He sips his coffee casually, trying to keep things light.

"I know." Hansol looks a little dejected, but also seems like he's been gathering a lot of courage when he finally says, "Me too sometimes."

"I wouldn't want to date someone who rubs me the wrong way," Yuta says. And then, because he thinks that might have been too blunt, he jokes, "In any way."

Hansol cracks a little smile. "Luckily it's only in one way," he says.

"Still seems like one too many," says Yuta. It's quiet for a while. Yuta checks his phone. "Shit. I need to go," he says, after looking at the time. He doesn't, he has nowhere to be, but he has the feeling he probably needs to end this conversation before it goes too far and give Hansol a little time to reflect. He's said enough for the day. He drops some change in the tip jar, his little habit, even though Hansol used to complain and try to give it back ( _come on, Yuta, we're friends, you don't have to do that,_ Hansol always said, but Yuta insisted until Hansol stopped protesting.) Then he hops to his feet, picking up his coffee. "Okay, see you whenever I'm back. Probably tomorrow. Won't be long," Yuta says, and heads out.

He doesn't see Hansol looking after him very lost in thought, and a little uncertain.

 

The next day, Yuta walks into the coffee shop and Hansol isn't there. 

Yuta has a bad feeling, but he tells himself, he can't jump to any conclusions. There are a lot of reasonable explanations. He goes up to the barista currently working, a graduate student named Kun who used to work this shift before Hansol was hired. "Hey, long time no see," says Yuta. "Hansol's not working today?"

"No," says Kun. "I'm covering his shift."

The worry grows a little more. "Is he sick?" Yuta asks.

"I don't know. He just texted me this morning to ask me to cover for him. That's it," Kun says. When Yuta doesn't reply for a while, just stands there thinking for a little longer than he intends to, Kun gives Yuta a look that's half judgmental and half concerned. "Do you want to order anything?"

"Oh. Yeah, sure," Yuta says, snapping out of his daze, and orders a drink he hasn't ordered in a month because Hansol can never get it right.

 

 _missed u today_ , Yuta texts Hansol that night when he finally can't resist the urge any longer. _are u okay?_

Hansol doesn't reply.

Yuta can't sleep, tossing and turning and checking his phone every fifteen minutes until exhaustion finally gets the better of him. When he succumbs to sleep sometime around 5 AM, Hansol still hasn't answered him. 

 

Yuta can barely keep his eyes open in class the next day. He's not a fan of calculus even on a good day, and after three hours of sleep, it's even more unbearable. He's already resigned himself to failing any part of the midterm which contains integrals, so after that, he feels free to tune all the specifics of them out.

"Yuta. Yuta," his best friend Sicheng whispers, tapping Yuta's hand with a pen. "Yuta?"

"Shh, I'm trying to ignore the lecture," Yuta whispers back, moving his hand out of reach of Sicheng's pen.

Sicheng taps his arm instead. "You should pay attention."

"You're not paying attention either if you're busy poking me with a pen," Yuta points out. Sicheng frowns at him, but stops jabbing Yuta with the writing utensil to turn back to whatever the professor is scrawling on the whiteboard. 

Yuta can't understand a single word the professor is saying, but that doesn't have anything to do with the mathematical jargon. His exhaustion fogged brain isn't processing anything that isn't a desire for sleep, or worry about Hansol. Hansol is a slow texter, and sometimes forgets to reply for several hours, but he always replies eventually, and this is at least twice as long as it should take him to answer. Combined with the information he got from Kun and the things he's discovered about Hansol over the past few days, Yuta can't keep his brain from making some connections. He had been trying not to jump to conclusions, because he could have been just driven to paranoia when Hansol simply caught a cold or something, but he wonders where the point is that jumping to conclusions is justified.

Sicheng has to stop Yuta from bumping into the doorframe when they're filing out of the room after the lecture. 

"Next time I might let you run into it," Sicheng says.

"You won't. You love me," Yuta replies, but his smile is so painfully forced that he's grateful that Sicheng doesn't comment on it. 

 

Yuta's in the middle of his next class when his phone buzzes. He almost jumps out of his seat. Not because he was startled by the noise, but because it might be Hansol. He immediately fishes his phone out of his pocket and unlocks it, and his heart leaps when he sees it is.

 _Kinda_ , Hansol's message says. He's still typing, and Yuta's breath is frozen in his lungs until Hansol's second message appears. _Its fine_

 _what's fine?_ Yuta replies, hoping he doesn't seem too weird for replying a millisecond later. _usually things aren't fine if u say they're fine before anyone asks_

Yuta prepares for another agonizing wait of two hours for Hansol's reply (honestly, Hansol is the slowest texter he knows) but is surprised to get an answer back within seconds.

_Its fine.  
See you soon_

_k, see u too_ , Yuta replies, and puts his phone back in his pocket, wondering what the hell Hansol considers to be soon. 

But Hansol did reply. Yuta is so overwhelmed with relief that he actually pays attention to this lecture, and takes notes for the first time in at least two weeks.

 

The relief dissipates when Hansol's not at the coffee shop again that afternoon. This time the barista is a guy named Yukhei, who was always the one that covered Kun's shifts back when Kun worked this one.

"Hey, long time no see," Yuta says, feeling like a broken record. "I thought you worked mornings now."

"I do." Yukhei says. "But Kun has office hours today, so I'm covering for him covering for Hansol." 

"Oh." Yuta frowns. "Did he say anything about when Hansol might be back?"

"No. I don't think Hansol said. But Kun did tell me I might want to be ready to work this shift again tomorrow." Yukhei shrugs. "What do you want to drink?"

Yuta orders the same drink again that Hansol can never make.

 

 _seriously are u good??_ Yuta sends Hansol, as soon as he gets home that night.

He gets the same reply, eight hours later: _Its fine. See you soon_

 

Yuta almost collapses with relief when he stops by the coffee shop the next afternoon and finds Hansol behind the counter.

"Hey," he says with a small smile, trying to hide that he wants to put on a much bigger one. "I missed you." 

"I missed you too," says Hansol. He smiles back, but there's something weary about it. He looks tired and a little haggard, with dark circles under his eyes. He reaches for a cup and turns around, getting to work on making Yuta's usual order before Yuta can even ask. Yuta frowns, unsure if Hansol is brushing him off. 

"Were you sick?" Yuta asks. To lighten the mood he adds, "You look like a ghost."

Hansol lets out a little laugh at that. "Don't worry, I didn't die."

It's not really an answer, but then again, Hansol can be a little vague at times. Yuta drags over a stool to his usual getting-in-the-way-to-bother-Hansol spot at the counter, and watches Hansol finish making his drink. "You know, I didn't pay you," Yuta points out.

"Oh. You didn't?" Hansol looks up, confused. "Are you sure?"

"No. You just walked away."

"Oh." Hansol's brow furrows. "Okay. Well, it's on me." He sets Yuta's drink down on the counter in front of him. He looks to see if any more customers have arrived, and when he sees they haven't, he turns back to Yuta. 

"You look tired," Yuta says, looking Hansol over.

"You do too," Hansol replies. "And you have pen marks all over your arm."

"Sicheng," Yuta mutters. He's not a fan of Sicheng's new strategy to try to salvage Yuta's plummeting grades. "Actually, it's a new tattoo," he says, and Hansol laughs.

The conversation flows easily after that, like Hansol had never been missing. As Yuta walks home, however, he finds himself thinking back on the past two hours and wondering. Hansol was there, in one piece, after only being gone for two days. Aside from his exhausted appearance and slightly unfocused manner, which could have been only an amplification of how he actually is sometimes, he didn't seem any worse for wear. But then again, those things really could be cause to worry. Yuta feels like he doesn't have any more answers than he did a few days ago. 

With the way Hansol is, he might never know.

 

The next day, Hansol is even more tired. He looks almost dead on his feet. Yuta decides enough is enough. After closing he orders Hansol out from behind the counter, sits him down at a table inside the cafe, and rummages around in the preparation area until he manages to pour Hansol a cup of coffee. Hansol only manages a half hearted "Yuta, no, you can't do that," but doesn't argue further. Yuta hands him the coffee with a strict order to drink it, and then meets Hansol's eyes. 

"Something is wrong, and I don't know what, but it is," Yuta says. "And you're going to tell me."

Hansol sips his coffee quietly. After a few long moments, he says, "I broke up with my boyfriend."

Yuta feels a sense of relief. He had been hoping, praying, Hansol would get away from that guy. "A few days ago?"

"Yeah." Hansol nods, taking another few sips of his coffee before answering, "He didn't take it well. And… I was living with him, so now I guess I'm kind of homeless. I'm staying with a friend, but she already has two roommates, so I can't live on her couch forever, y'know?"

Yuta finds himself reaching over and taking Hansol's free hand in his, squeezing it comfortingly. "My roommate's moving out next week," he says easily, the words coming out of his mouth without any real thought. "I need someone to replace her that's not a serial killer. You don't seem like a serial killer. Want to take over her room?"

"Okay," says Hansol, and that was that.

 

Hansol moves in the next day, temporarily sharing Yuta's room with the blessing of Yuta's current roommate. Hansol is clean, quiet, good at remembering chores, and overall the perfect roommate. Within a few days, he's already looking happier. Leaving an abusive boyfriend will do that to a person, Yuta figures. 

So Yuta thinks everything is fine. He goes on with life as normal, happy Hansol is somewhere safe and away from someone who will abuse him.

Then Yuta discovers that this is a pattern.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is back to the present day, after the flashback last chapter, and is set directly after the first chapter. This one has some darker themes like power imbalances in relationships and psychological abuse (specifically gaslighting) so please be warned before you read! I hope the ending will make up for it!!

As it turns out, Yuta learns Asshole's name anyway. He doesn't want to, but to his displeasure, Hansol keeps talking about him.

Now that they're living together, Hansol's life is much less separate from Yuta's. Hansol opens up more about his personal life than he did at the beginning of their friendship, because Yuta is probably going to be aware of it anyway. This includes his relationships. In the several months since Hansol moved in with him, Yuta has watched him go through a series of short lasting relationships, out of which Yuta has liked exactly none of them. Yuta's consolation has been that none of those relationships ever lasted long enough to become much of a problem. However, Asshole has lasted longer than Yuta expected, and Hansol seems more than happy to talk about it. Yuta doesn't like what he's hearing, though. He feels like if Hansol had opened up to him about his relationship with Sungyeob way back in the beginning, he wouldn't have liked what he heard then either.

Asshole's name is Hyunsoo, and Yuta is currently watching him stand Hansol up.

"I thought he would be here by now," Hansol says, checking his phone for the hundredth time. "He was supposed to be here forty five minutes ago, and he said I better be ready, but…" Hansol forces a wry smile onto his face. "I guess something important came up. That happens to him a lot."

"You're important," Yuta reminds him. "If something came up, shouldn't he have told you?"

"Well…" Hansol looks like he's trying to think of a way to justify this, but it's taking him a minute to think. "Maybe he didn't get a chance?"

Hansol is not a very good liar, and he's also not very good at thinking up excuses. It takes him too long. So every time Hansol has to come up with a justification for his boyfriend's behavior, Yuta can see it's happening. This has happened on several occasions already. 

"You don't have to sit here by the door, you know," Yuta says. He's currently sitting with Hansol at their kitchen table, which is positioned close to the door. This isn't exactly how he wanted to spend his afternoon, but Hansol looked so pitiful and bored sitting over here by himself that Yuta just had to come over and keep him company. "You could do something else in the meantime. Sitting here isn't gonna make him get here any faster, and it's _boring."_ Yuta's voice turns into a whine on the last word, and Hansol smiles. The smile doesn't last long, though.

"He said I better be ready to go quickly when he gets here," says Hansol. "If I go do something else, it could take me longer."

"A few seconds isn't gonna kill him," says Yuta. "If he gets that mad over a few seconds, he must think he's going to die tomorrow."

Yuta tries to keep his tone joking, but he's losing his patience with Hyunsoo's demanding behavior. Yuta knows his type: several years older than his boyfriend, has a lot of money, feels like a very important person, and seems to think that justifies him to get whatever he wants from whoever he wants. And, especially, to be in full control in his relationship with said younger, poorer, and seemingly less important boyfriend. Their whole relationship clearly sits on a foundation of that power imbalance. Yuta's seen too much of Hansol bending over backwards to accommodate him, and if he ends up face to face with him again, Yuta's going to end up snapping at him like he did that day he decided to take up precious space and oxygen in their kitchen. Hell, he's on the verge of snapping at Hansol too, because he doesn't get why Hansol keeps letting this happen.

Except, no, he does. Yuta has to keep reminding himself of this. Hansol is letting this happen because it's a pattern, getting into relationships like this with guys like this. Yuta can't get mad at him because it's not right to get _angry_ at someone for falling into a mindset that makes them allow someone to mistreat them. And in Hansol's case, he knows that mindset has been drilled into him by at least one other bad boyfriend. Hansol might not even feel like being treated like this isn't okay, or that he deserves better than this. 

But Yuta can't force Hansol to break up with this guy. He can't control Hansol's life, and as much as he wishes he could, he can't forcefully drag Hansol out of this relationship. All he can do is keep pointing out when when a behavior isn't okay, make Hansol think about why it isn't, and affirm that Hansol deserves better than to be treated like this.

After another five minutes, Yuta says gently, "Maybe he's not coming."

Hansol's face falls. "You're right. Maybe he's not. Sometimes he doesn't."

Yuta just wants to pull Hansol into a hug and tell him that he needs someone who will always try their best to be there. Yuta shows up for him any day, any time, and he doesn't know how to get it across to Hansol that he shouldn't settle for any relationship that will provide him with any less dedication and caring and support than his friendship with Yuta does. And he's about to, but then suddenly someone is knocking hard on their door.

Hansol jumps, and hurries to open the door. And there, fifty minutes late, is Hyunsoo. In all his demanding, irritable glory. 

"About time," Yuta says. Both of them ignore him.

"Are you going out like that?" Hyunsoo asks, looking Hansol over with a look of disdain. "Where's your jacket? I told you to be ready."

"Oh!" Hansol says, looking surprised. "I totally forgot, I- sorry, I know I do this often." He smiles in embarrassment. Hyunsoo doesn't smile back.

"Then hurry up and get it," Hyunsoo orders, and Hansol scrambles off to get it. "Do you not understand what "be ready" means?"

This again. This is sickeningly familiar to the last time Yuta saw Hyunsoo ordering Hansol around for something. It's the same exact situation, and that doesn't seem to give Hansol any pause at all.

"Do _you_ not understand what being on time means?" Yuta asks, as soon as Hansol is out of earshot. He knows Hansol doesn't like him saying mean things about his boyfriend, but damned if he's going to not give this guy an earful. "Or chilling out and treating your boyfriend like an actual boyfriend, not just something you can drag around and boss around whenever the hell you feel like it?"

"Why don't you mind your own fucking business?" Hyunsoo says, taking a step inside the apartment. "You have a pretty big mouth for such a short guy."

Okay, that pisses Yuta off. He's not even that short. He's average height in Korea, thanks, and above average in Japan. He might not be a Hansol size giant, but most people aren't. "So what? Height alone doesn't make you tough," he says. "And neither does treating your boyfriend, who's too nice to tell you to fuck off, like shit."

"I think you need to shut your mouth now," Hyunsoo says. And Yuta is about to tell him exactly where he can shove some large and sharp objects, but then Hansol returns. 

"Sorry." Hansol is a little out of breath, and has clearly been rushing around to appease Hyunsoo's impatience. "Sorry. I'm ready now."

"Then let's go already," Hyunsoo says, in the same irritated voice as before. Hansol's looking at him with something like gratitude, for actually showing up. There's hope in his eyes, like maybe things will go better after this. Yuta knows Hansol has already forgiven him, if he was even upset at all. It makes Yuta sick, knowing Hansol's hopes are just going to be crushed again.

Hansol walks out the door, and Hyunsoo gives Yuta a look that is half threatening and half smug right before slamming the door in Yuta's face.

As soon as he's gone, Yuta absolutely loses his shit. He hates that asshole. Hates him so much. And it's probably not the most mature thing to yell "fuck you!" at a chair and kick it over, because the chair is not Hansol's shitty boyfriend despite how much Yuta pretends it is, but Yuta does it anyway. After that, he sits down hard in another chair and tries to dispel his remaining anger.  
That guy clearly has as much of a temper as Yuta, and Yuta's getting a really bad feeling about it. If he's already reacting with this much irritation to small things Hansol does, it's not too hard to see how something bigger could lead to a much stronger reaction. Yuta hopes Hansol breaks up with that guy. Breaks up with him very soon. 

 

But of course, Hansol doesn't. Hansol actually begins seeming like he's in a good mood after spending time with Hyunsoo. Even though they live together now, Yuta still pulls his usual stool over to the counter and loiters for hours while chatting with Hansol whenever he drops by the coffee shop for his daily coffee. 

"You came home late last night," Yuta comments, sipping his coffee slowly. He asked for a shot of hazelnut syrup in this, but Hansol has put something that seems like some kind of fruit, possibly peach. It doesn't taste good, it actually tastes awful, but Yuta doesn't want to point out Hansol's mistake. He never does. If he drinks it in small enough sips, maybe he can keep from scrunching up his face in disgust every time he takes another one. 

"Yeah." Hansol gives him a small smile. "I was out pretty late with Hyunsoo-ssi. He took me to a really nice restaurant, and then we walked around the city and just talked. He told me a lot about his life, and what he's doing at work. Then we went back to his place and…" Hansol trails off with a kind of bashful smile, and Yuta knows exactly what he's getting at. 

"Nice," Yuta says, even though he has a feeling Hansol is seeing this all through rose colored glasses. Besides, he instinctively fills with anger every time he hears _Hyunsoo-ssi_. Hyunsoo won't even let his own boyfriend call him _hyung_ , and if that doesn't say something about the power dynamic Hyunsoo wants in their relationship, Yuta doesn't know what does. But then something hits him. "Wait, you didn't stay overnight after?"

"No, he had to get up early for work the next day." Hansol notices he got some of the gross fruit syrup on the counter while mistakenly squirting it into Yuta's drink, and grabs a sponge and cleaning spray to clean it up.

"So? It's not like you being in his bed would trap him in it, like some kind of spirit haunting the sheets." Yuta snorts. "I've slept with plenty of people who had to get up early. And somehow, they managed to do it even with me there." 

"Well, he just… he had a meeting." Hansol's doing his clearly-justifying-this thing again, and Yuta never wants to see that look on his face again. "Having me there could disrupt his sleep." 

"I shared a bed with you for a week when you moved in. You don't snore, you don't kick, you don't hog blankets. Actually, you don't even move. Sometimes I checked to make sure you were even alive. You are the least disruptive sleeper I have experienced in my life." 

"Maybe he… doesn't know that." 

It's bullshit. It's total bullshit, and they both know it. Yuta doesn't care how much money Hyunsoo dropped at a classy restaurant to make himself look fancy, and he doesn't care how much Hyunsoo rambled on about himself at Hansol and made Hansol feel privileged to be on the receiving end of his self centered blathering. Afterward, he still fucked Hansol and then tossed him out of bed because at the end of the day, Hyunsoo doesn't view Hansol as someone he cares about enough, or even respects enough, to let him stay overnight. 

Yuta chugs his disgusting coffee, forcing himself not to gag, because he wants this conversation to be over soon. He doesn't want to hear more excuses for why that douchebag is totally justified in using Hansol. 

"He should've found out," Yuta says, once he has finished the nearly unbearable coffee and verified that he's not going to throw up. "If he cares enough about you to be with you in the future, then he should want to find out what you're like when you sleep. What you're like when you wake up in the morning. What it's like having you around. If he doesn't want to know that… then he doesn't really want it to happen."

Yuta tosses his cup in the trash on his way out, the bells on the door jingling loudly behind him with the force it shuts with. 

Outside, he's hit with immediate regret. He stands by everything he said, but maybe it was too harsh. Maybe he shouldn't have said it so bluntly, or so forcefully. And he definitely shouldn't have let the door slam like that. Maybe he should go back and apologize to Hansol.

But just as he decides, the rush of students from several large afternoon lectures letting out all at once appears and enters the shop. Within a minute, the line is around the shop, and Yuta curses. He missed his chance. 

He feels like he's been doing a lot of things wrong lately. 

 

Another two weeks passes uneventfully. Hansol doesn't talk about his "dates" with Hyunsoo anymore, but he always comes home around 1 or 2 AM. The next day, he wavers between walking on air and sinking into the depths. It's hard for Yuta to watch. He tries to check in on Hansol, make sure everything is okay, but Hansol just tells him everything is fine. But if things weren't, Yuta knows, Hansol would just reassure him that they are anyway. 

Hansol also doesn't meet up with Hyunsoo at their place again. Well… for a while.

Yuta almost wants to give Hansol a firm "no" when he mentions that Hyunsoo will be coming over to pick him up later that evening. Both a "no" to letting Hyunsoo come here, and to going out with him again. But Yuta grits his teeth and agrees. He might as well let Hyunsoo know that he's still keeping an eye on the situation, and that he still doesn't trust Hyunsoo one ounce more than he did before. That he loathes Hyunsoo with every bone in his "short" body, and isn't afraid to use it to protect Hansol if necessary. 

Half an hour before Hyunsoo is scheduled to arrive (Yuta's waiting to see if he actually will,) Hansol is wandering around the apartment looking for his jacket. Yet again.

"Yuta? Did I bring my gray jacket to Hyunsoo-ssi's last week?" Hansol asks, after going through the apartment three times.

"Yes, you did," Yuta says. "Remember? I helped you look for it, and we found it under your bed?"

"That's what I thought." Hansol chews on his lip, looking confused and deep in thought. "And I can't find it anywhere here. But it's not at his apartment, and he said I didn't bring it."

"You remember wearing it there, but not back?" Yuta verifies, beginning to put a few pieces together. "And he claims you didn't bring it at all?"

"Mhm." Hansol nods, still looking pensive. "I looked for it when I was getting ready to leave his place, but he asked me why I was looking for it, because I hadn't brought it."

Yuta is piecing together a theory of what could have happened, but he doesn't say it yet.

"I really did think so, but… now that I think about it, I don't remember if I wore it there." Hansol shakes his head, looking a little dispirited. "This isn't the first time this has happened, though. I've also lost a pair of gloves, a sweater, and a book. And something else too, I think. I don't know why I keep thinking that I've brought those things with me, but he always has to remind me I didn't. He also has to remind me of a lot of other things I didn't do. Or even things I did." Hansol's discouraged look increases. "My memory has never been very good. Maybe it's worse than I thought. Or maybe I'm just going crazy."

Hansol laughs a little at that, but those words, "maybe I'm just going crazy", make something come crashing down on Yuta like a ton of bricks. 

Yuta took a psychology class in his first year at university. That was three years ago, so the details are a little fuzzy, and he can't remember what it's called. But he remembers learning about the concept that, if you tell people lies with enough conviction, you can sometimes convince them to believe it. And once you convince them to believe it, it's easier to convince them of other things, things that directly contradict their own experiences and memories. Their reality. And after a while, you can get them to begin doubting themselves. You can shake the foundations of their reality. After that point, they will start feeling like they might be delusional. Or, more simply, _crazy_. 

Yuta thinks in horror how familiar that sounds right now.

Of course, he can't be a hundred percent certain of anything. It's true that Hansol doesn't have the best memory, and that he does misplace things. But he always tends to find them again, and he always has no idea of when he lost them or where they might be, not a very strong idea of when and where he believes he had them before they disappeared. Yuta's theory doesn't seem too far out of the realm of possibility. In fact, put together with what he knows, that Hansol's boyfriend is controlling and manipulative and has no regard for his well being, and has a strong incentive to keep Hansol trusting and vulnerable, it seems very inside the realm of possibility indeed. 

And this claim Hansol's been fed about his lost jacket doesn't just contradict Hansol's memory, it contradicts Yuta's too. That makes two of them with identical recollections, and Yuta is not as easily susceptible as Hansol to whatever trickery his boyfriend may or not be pulling.

Hansol bites his lip, looking uncertain, like he's not sure who to believe. And Yuta knows that Hansol doesn't believe _himself_. 

"Well, it doesn't really matter," Hansol finally says, seeming to snap out of the mood he was in. "I looked around a few times, but I always have to look for it. Maybe I just have to look one more time. It's probably hiding somewhere really good." 

_Gaslighting_ , that's what it's called. Yuta remembers now.

Hansol laughs, and walks toward his bedroom. But as he puts his hand on the doorknob, Yuta says, "Hansol?"

Hansol turns. "Hm?"

"I remember you bringing it too."

"My jacket?"

"Yes. I remember you bringing to Hyunsoo's too." 

Hansol's expressions are usually like an open book to Yuta, who knows him so well, but the one on his face now, Yuta can't read. Slowly, Hansol turns back to his door, walks into his room, and closes it behind him.

 

"Hansol?" Yuta calls out across the room to Hansol, fifteen minutes before Hyunsoo is supposed to arrive. "You left your phone over here. You got a text from Hyunsoo saying he's going to be thirty minutes late."

Yuta never uses honorifics for Hyunsoo. He doesn't feel like the asshole deserves to be referred to with respect. Hansol seems a little uncomfortable whenever Yuta refers to his boyfriend like that, but this time he doesn't even notice. 

"He told me this time?" Hansol perks up, looking happy. 

"Yeah. I'll reply with "Okay", is that fine?"

"That's fine. Thank you, Yuta." 

"No problem," says Yuta. "So maybe you can take a shower at 6, since he won't be here for another half an hour after that."

"Oh, that's a good idea," Hansol nods, and goes back to the book he's reading.

It's total bullshit. Hansol didn't get a text at all. There's no reason why he should take a shower at 6 instead of now, but Hansol doesn't question suggestions like that and Yuta knows it. Yuta knows it's not a definite plan, because Hyunsoo has a habit of not showing up on time, but he's going to take the gamble here. Hansol will get in the shower at 6, Yuta will wait for Hyunsoo to arrive, Hansol won't know Hyunsoo is here, and Yuta will shut him out in the hallway and let him know that he's well aware of this sick, twisted mind game Hyunsoo is playing on Hansol. Hyunsoo can knock on the door all he wants, or call Hansol's phone all he wants, Hansol won't hear it.

Yuta just has to hope the timing goes according to plan, and he doesn't get murdered in the process. 

 

For once in their entire relationship, Hyunsoo is on time to pick up Hansol, and Yuta feels like the stars are aligning. As soon as Hyunsoo knocks on the door, Yuta slips out of it and shuts the door behind him, shutting them both out in the hallway. 

"Look. I know what you're doing," Yuta says, before Hyunsoo can try to protest or ask him why he's decided to detain him in the hallway. 

"What?"

"I know you're trying to gaslight Hansol." 

"The fuck are you talking about? I don't even know what that means." Hyunsoo's giving Yuta a look like Yuta has lost his mind, which Yuta expected.

"Lying to him. Lying to him and getting him to believe it," Yuta says, "So that he doesn't trust himself anymore." 

"Are you accusing me?" Hyunsoo narrows his eyes. "I don't _lie_ to him." 

Hyunsoo holds Yuta's gaze steadily, showing no indication at all that he might currently be lying. He says it with total conviction and a tone like he's being accused of a crime he didn't commit. If Yuta wasn't so confident in his own judgment, he might believe Hyunsoo himself. He can see how easy it would be to believe this guy if he was Yuta's own boyfriend who Yuta wanted to trust.

"You're not gonna get me too," Yuta says. "Maybe you can trick Hansol with that, but you can't trick me." 

"Shit, I thought you were just annoying, but you're also crazy." Hyunsoo shakes his head. And there, there it is, that classic gaslighting move that Yuta was waiting for. He expected Hyunsoo to try to this on him too, to throw Yuta off his trail so he can go on messing with Hansol's mind in peace. But Yuta knows he's not crazy, and he knows what this guy is doing. He's not going to be fooled, and he's not going to back down. 

"Remember? I told you that you can't get me with that," Yuta says firmly, "So don't even try."

"Yeah, okay, whatever you say. I'm going to wait for Hansol in the car," Hyunsoo says, giving Yuta another look that clearly says, "you've lost your mind." He walks down the hall, but just before he goes down the stairs, he turns back to Yuta and says, "I see what Hansol meant about how you can get sometimes." 

_Oh._ That hits Yuta like a punch in the stomach. 

No, he thinks. That has to be Hyunsoo trying to gaslight him again, right? He has to be lying just to mess with Yuta. There's no way Hansol would talk behind his back about him being… what exactly? Without knowing exactly what was said, it does seem possible that Hansol really could've said something that led to whatever conclusion Hyunsoo made. Maybe Hansol said something about him, and it came out wrong or got misinterpreted, that's not too unusual for Hansol. Or maybe Hansol really does think he's… a certain way sometimes, and just never said it to Yuta's face. Yuta's mind races as he tries to figure it out. He tries to assure himself that Hyunsoo is lying to him, just like he lies to Hansol about all of his things that have gone missing. Or like he lied to Yuta about him supposedly not doing that. But with this one, Yuta genuinely isn't sure. 

Yuta is horrified to realize that for all his confidence, all his determination not to be swayed, this guy has still managed to get in his head too. 

 

Yuta gets back in their apartment right after Hansol gets out of the shower. Hansol's phone rings in his bedroom, and Hansol hears it and hurries in to pick it up before Yuta can figure out how to distract him and silence it. Yuta's not sure he'd be able to come up with any plan anyway, since his mind is so distracted and thrown off by what Hyunsoo said to him. 

Hansol comes out of his bedroom a few minutes later with his clothes on, ready to go. Yuta knows the call must have been Hyunsoo telling him to come downstairs. When he looks at Hansol, a million things go through his head. He wants to ask Hansol if what Hyunsoo said was true, and if so, what he meant. What Hansol said. He wants to ask Hansol how he really doesn't see what this guy is truly like, or maybe just wants to yell at him to run away as fast as he can. He feels confused and helpless. So instead, what comes out of his mouth is, "Don't bring that guy around here." 

"What?" Hansol's eyes are innocent and full of pure confusion, and Hansol can't fake expressions, so Yuta knows he actually doesn't understand. "Why?" 

"I don't like him," Yuta says. "So don't bring him near me." 

"Yuta." Hansol looks hurt. "He's my boyfriend. You don't have to get along, but it's a little harsh to insist he can't even be around you." 

"I don't have to explain myself," Yuta says, more harshly than he intends. Like a cornered animal, his feelings of being threatened are making him lash out. He knows that, but he can't stop it. "I don't like him. To be honest, I don't know why you do. I don't think he's good for you. I can't make you stay away from him, but I can stay away from him myself. I don't want to be around him, and that's final." 

"You don't think he's good for me?" Hansol furrows his brow. "What makes you say that?" 

"He's manipulating you," Yuta says. "Remember the jacket? The gloves? Everything you brought? I remember you bringing the jacket, and I'm willing to believe you brought everything else. I know you, Hansol, and if you just lost them, you wouldn't have any idea where they were, but you do. I don't know exactly what he's doing, but I think he's taking them and hiding them and lying to you to make you think you're crazy." 

"Yuta, that's…" Hansol gives him an apologetic look. "I don't know. That seems like kind of a stretch. It sounds a little…"

Crazy, Yuta hears in Hyunsoo's voice, and he feels crushed. 

"Maybe, but please believe me. Hansol, I've seen how he acts, I've heard what he says, I see how he treats you. Can you at least consider that what I'm saying might be possible?"

Hansol bites his lip, thinking hard for a moment. But before Hansol can get too far in his train of thought, his phone chimes. He looks down at the screen, and Yuta knows exactly who that text must be from. "I have to go. Sorry, Yuta. I'll see you…" Tonight? Tomorrow morning? Yuta can see Hansol trying to be uncertain, thinking maybe this time Hyunsoo might let him stay, but deep down, they both know it will be 2 AM when Hyunsoo kicks Hansol out of bed yet again. 

Yuta doesn't say anything. He can't say anything. He's already made his appeal, and it failed. He can't say anything that might condone this, either, so he says nothing at all. 

The front door shuts behind Hansol, and Yuta goes into his room and flops down on his bed. His stomach aches, like a lingering soreness from the figurative punch from Hyunsoo's words. It feels a lot like worry, mixed with the same sick to his stomach feeling he got watching Hansol look at Hyunsoo with hope that's now been crushed over and over. He still remembers that look. Yuta was already concerned, but after today, he knows he was right. Hansol is experiencing some serious abuse, and he doesn't even realize how bad it is. After trying and failing so many times, Yuta doesn't know how to make him see.

 

A few months go by. Things don't seem to be getting better, but they don't seem to be getting worse. Their lives continue like normal. Yuta keeps half assing his classes, and miraculously scraping passing grades through a combination of desire to avoid having to retake any classes and Sicheng's determination to help him by any means necessary. (Mostly scolding him and poking him with pens. That hasn't changed either.) Hansol takes on another Saturday morning dance class in addition to the other few he teaches on mornings and weekends, and keeps his same afternoons and evenings schedule at the coffee shop. He usually goes to spend time with Hyunsoo after that. His path crosses with Yuta's at the coffee shop, around their apartment, and sometimes at the dance studio. They don't really go out together anymore. Hansol doesn't go out with anyone anymore except Hyunsoo. Their paths also cross between 1 and 2 AM, when Yuta "coincidentally" has to get a glass of water or a midnight snack or use the bathroom after being woken up by Hansol returning home. 

Hansol never really has much to say during those late night meetings. To his credit, he hasn't brought Hyunsoo over again since Yuta told him not to. He also doesn't seem to want to talk much about Hyunsoo after getting home. Yuta isn't sure if he's happy not to hear about whatever that guy is doing to Hansol, or if he's more worried by not knowing. Still, he's not going to ask.

Suddenly, however, the 1 and 2 AM meetings stop. Hansol still spends time with Hyunsoo, but now, he returns between 10 and 11 PM. Their usual time together is a lot shorter now. Yuta isn't sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. It could mean Hansol doesn't want to be around him as much anymore, or it could mean that Hyunsoo has dropped all pretenses of treating Hansol right and is now skipping straight to the part where he uses him for sex. Yuta can't guess, Hansol isn't telling, and again, Yuta isn't going to ask. 

It's not too long, though, before he gets his answer. 

 

It's a Thursday night, and Yuta is waiting for Hansol to get home from wherever he went and whatever he was doing with Hyunsoo. He thinks it might be time to finally get to the bottom of this. He's sitting at their kitchen table with a textbook and a plate of food, trying to look like he just happened to be here, that he isn't waiting for Hansol. However, Yuta definitely isn't planning to read that textbook earlier than two days before the final exam, and he already ate dinner, so the food went cold hours ago. Hansol won't notice, though. Yuta appreciates that about him. While there are certain things he wishes Hansol would be more observant about, it's not too difficult to fool him with things like this. 

"You're home early," Yuta says when the door opens at 10 PM, without looking up from the textbook he's staring at without actually reading any of the words. Trying to seem as casual as possible, he eats one of the pieces of meat on the plate, acting like he's barely paying attention to what he's saying. "You've been getting home pretty early lately." 

Hansol sits down at the table across from him. Then, unexpectedly, he talks. 

"Hyunsoo-ssi won't have sex with me anymore," Hansol says quietly. Yuta's head snaps up in surprise, but his eyes don't meet Hansol's. Hansol is looking down at the table. "He says he doesn't want me." 

"Doesn't _want_ you?" Yuta can't believe what he's hearing.

"He said when he looks at me, he doesn't feel anything now. That I'm not… "desirable."

"Wow." Yuta has given up on all attempts to act casual, way too stunned and angry. "That's fucking rude. He didn't have to say it like that. Seriously, he's got some fucking nerve." 

"He won't even touch me anymore." Hansol's voice is almost a whisper. 

Yuta is seething, but he puts that aside for a more gentle tone of voice. "But you want him to?" 

Hansol nods, biting his lip. "I'm not supposed to ask anyway," he continues, and Yuta just gets angrier. Not supposed to ask? Like Hansol isn't allowed to want anything, and his needs don't matter, he's just there to fulfill whatever demand is placed on him? Yuta really wants to go off, wants to unleash a stream of profanities about how fucked up this guy is and how Yuta wants to rip him limb from limb, but he again forces himself to let go of that for Hansol's sake. Hansol is hurting, and he needs understanding, not anger. The anger can wait. 

"It sounds like you two might not be compatible then," says Yuta. "And not just sexually. I don't think _anyone_ is compatible with a guy who would call them "undesirable." 

"He said it might be just for now." Hansol fidgets. "That maybe he'll feel that way about me again, and I should wait." 

_"Wait?"_ Yuta almost loses it. "Wait for him to maybe, possibly, stop calling you sexually unwanted and do you the great favor of sleeping with you again?" Yuta's getting to the point where he's not going to mince words anymore. "For fuck's sake, Hansol! Don't sleep with a guy who doesn't respect you. He's just stringing you along, when he might not ever want you again, just crushing your self esteem only to drop you in the end. Listen to me: _don't sleep with anyone who doesn't value you._ Are you getting this?" 

"I don't want to be undesirable," Hansol almost whispers.

"You're not. You're not unattractive or unwanted just because some asshole doesn't think you're his taste anymore. You don't change just because of someone's opinion. You are exactly who you were before he said that to you. Hearing some words from one single person doesn't make you any different." 

Hansol begins to nibble on his lip again. Finally, he says, "Do you think I am?"

"What?"

"Desirable." 

"Yes!" Yuta says in exasperation. "Guess what? Kun thinks you're cute. He told me that when I went to the coffee shop for breakfast yesterday. And that girl with the pink hair who comes in on Wednesdays? Obviously flirting with you. That new instructor from your studio you introduced me to last week? She was checking you out every single time you turned around. Hell, _I'd_ do you. Your asshole boyfriend isn't the only person with an opinion. And even if nobody in the whole world found you sexually attractive, that doesn't fucking matter, because you're worth so much more than whatever you can provide someone in bed. Do you get it now? Do you see how his opinions on this, or on _anything_ , don't actually fucking matter?" 

"They don't matter," Hansol says, slowly, like he really hadn't considered this before.

"They don't." Yuta says it decisively, hoping he's finally driven the point home. "They don't change anything. They don't objectively define anything. So they don't fucking matter."

Hansol is quiet for a long time. And then finally he says, softly and almost in wonder, like he's had an epiphany, "I guess they really don't."

Hansol stands up from the table and begins to head to his room. "Wait," Yuta says quickly, and hurries over to pull Hansol into a hug. It's been forever since he's actually gotten a hug from Hansol. They used to cuddle all the time, and Yuta had pretty much tossed the concept of personal space out the window, but this has been so rare lately. It feels so amazing when Hansol actually hugs him back. Yuta feels very small in Hansol's arms, short and a little awkwardly positioned in the hug, but it doesn't matter. It's just so good to be held by his best friend again. 

"Thank you," Hansol murmurs, after a while has passed of nothing but the sound of their breathing patterns gradually aligning. Yuta doesn't want to let go of him. But he knows Hansol has morning dance classes to teach tomorrow, then a long shift at the coffee shop, then whatever comes after. As much as he wants to hold on to Hansol forever, he can't. So finally, he releases Hansol and lets him go to sleep.

For the first time in forever, Yuta sleeps peacefully. 

 

Three days later, Yuta shows up at the coffee shop and finds a different person behind the counter. But it's not Kun, or Yukhei, or any of the other employees - it's Hansol. 

An incredible amount of tension has been erased from Hansol's face and body, tension Yuta got so used to seeing there that it stopped standing out to him anymore. Hansol's standing a little taller, too. Hansol looks exhausted, physically and emotionally, like he's been through a lot in the 24 hours since Yuta has last seen him. But he seems somehow lighter, freer, and Yuta knows.

"You broke up with him," Yuta says, sitting down at the counter. Hansol starts making his usual drink, but a small smile comes over his face. 

"Yeah. I did." 

Yuta watches to see if Hansol puts a shot of peach in his drink, but - no, he doesn't. Hansol sets it down in front of him, still smiling. Yuta takes a sip, and it's delicious.

"You know what? You were right," Hansol says. "He had everything I lost. I went to the bathroom, and when I came back to his room, he had his closet door open. He tried to close it fast, before I could see anything, but I did, and it was all there. My jacket, my gloves, my sweater, my book, and a hat I lost last week. Well, not _lost_ , I guess. So - I did it, right there and then. The words just came out. I broke up with him." 

Yuta breaks out in a smile so big he feels like his face might break. "Congratulations," he says, and reaches out to take Hansol's hand. Hansol puts it in Yuta's hand and squeezes, and Yuta squeezes back. Finally, he asks, "Did you get everything back?"

"Yep. He threw it all at me," Hansol says sheepishly. "Not exactly how I wanted to get it back, but, I did." 

"Hey, you have a breakup celebration outfit now," Yuta grins. "And a book to read with all the free time you're not using to put up with his bullshit."

"It's actually a pretty boring book," Hansol admits, then shrugs. "But I bought it, so I'm going to read it anyway." 

"Hey, let's go out to drink tonight," Yuta suggests, when Hansol lets go of his hand so he can finish his coffee. "You can wear your breakup celebration outfit and tell me all about how boring the book is."

"I'd like that," says Hansol, and takes Yuta's empty cup back to refill it. He pauses for a second, then says with a quiet smile, "It's kind of funny. Every time I came home from being with him, I kept thinking about how I like spending time with you better." 

"I'll spend as much time with you as you want," Yuta promises in a heartbeat. "I was just looking for an excuse to skip my classes tomorrow anyway. Coincidentally, every time I'm in class, I keep thinking about how I like spending time with you better."

For the first time in forever, Hansol lets out a laugh so open and free that Yuta can't help but laugh along with him, feeling like he's finally free as well.


End file.
